Patient-based Performance Assessment for Pediatric Abdominal CT: An Automated Monitoring System Based on Lesion Detectability and Radiation Dose.

Rationale And Objective: To deploy an automated tool for evaluating pediatric body computed tomography (CT) performance utilizing metrics of radiation dose and image quality for the task of liver lesion detection.

Materials And Methods: This IRB approved retrospective investigation used 507 IV-contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT scans of pediatric patients (<18 years) between June 2014 and November 2017 acquired on three scanner models from two manufacturers. The scans were evaluated in terms of radiation metrics (CTDI, DLP, and SSDE) as well as task-based performance based on the clinical task of detecting a 5 mm liver lesion with a 10 HU attenuation difference from background liver.

The Impact of Alzheimer's Disease in an Aging Rural Population.

West Virginia already has a large elderly population, and it is expected to increase along with the elderly population of the nation as a whole. Since the most important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is older age, it is not surprising that the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease is projected to increase significantly over the next thirty-five years. This paper discusses the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in West Virginia, programs available to assist people and caregivers affected by the disease, and the associated economic burden of the disease.

Primary Care Fall Risk Assessment for Elderly West Virginians.

West Virginia is ranked second nationally for the percent of its population 65 years of age. The elderly are especially susceptible to falls with fall risk increasing as age increases. Because falls are the number one cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in the West Virginia elderly, evaluation of fall risk is a critical component of the patient evaluation in the primary care setting.